Auburn Basketball Players at Center of FBI Point Shaving Investigation

If there is any malfeasance or impropriety in college athletics, leave it to the staff at Yahoo! Sports to uncover it. The latest scandal to rock college sports involves former UTEP coach Tony Barbee. More specifically, a player on his team at Auburn.

Tigers' guard Varez Ward is under investigation by federal authorities in an ongoing point-shaving investigation. The Yahoo! report cites three sources who say the FBI has been investigating Ward since late February after he and guard Chris Denson were suspended by Auburn before the Feb. 25th game against Arkansas. Denson was questioned, but was cleared of any wrongdoing and returned to the team after the Arkansas game. Ward hasn't returned to the team since his suspension.

According to the report, another player raised concerns about point shaving with a Tiger assistant. After the coaching staff was alerted, the school immediately contacted the SEC, NCAA, and FBI. Auburn officials said in a statement, “Because of the nature of the allegation, Auburn is not in a position to make any further comment on the situation.”

At least two games are under scrutiny: a 68-50 loss to Alabama on Feb. 7 and a 56-53 loss to Arkansas on Jan 25th. In the Alabama game, Ward scored three points while committing six turnovers. The Crimson Tide easily covered the five point spread. In the Arkansas game, Ward turned the ball over on his first offensive possession. He left the game with an injury. The Tigers covered the the nine and a half point spread.